Court ruling No. SKC-165/2023 was published last November. While it does not address any fresh legal issues, the subject of worker postings combined with the significant amount of this claim creates the need to analyse this ruling in more detail. The pay components assessed in the ruling allow us to summarise and evaluate pay issues relevant to any worker posting.
In a recent survey conducted by PwC, 52% of CEOs cite labour and skills shortages as a critical factor affecting performance in their company. Companies are objectively facing shortages of suitable workers and required skills, and rapid technology evolution is likely to aggravate this. The situation is being worsened by the diminished engagement and loyalty of workers and by their readiness to change jobs if they fail to receive values they deem critical, such as meaningful work and professional development opportunities. This means your priorities should include developing your current workers as well as attracting new talent.
Many people see the high cost of living as a challenge that forces the public and the government to take steps in order to obtain protection from today’s unpredictable economic conditions. While every worker deserves to receive a wage that allows them to satisfy their needs and live a decent life, the UN recognises that more than a third of workers globally earn less than they need to secure such a standard of living. The problem remains unsolved in 2023, so this article summarises the various challenges that companies need to overcome if they are to implement what is known as a living wage.
Directive 2023/970 on equal pay came into force in June 2023. The courts have been hearing equal pay disputes for a long time, yet the number of such lawsuits is likely to grow as more information becomes available under the directive. This article looks at equal pay litigation in Latvia and objective grounds for pay gaps.
A proper analysis of workforce data can transform how organisations make decisions and optimise their resources. This has become crucial for today’s talent management, staff engagement, performance management and productivity purposes. In our earlier articles we looked at the significance of adopting human resource (HR) technologies to conduct a proper analysis of HR data and use it for business purposes. In this article we will explore various categories of workforce data that companies can gather in-house. Analysing the accumulated data will help you obtain an idea of what is working and what needs improving, allowing you to identify issues and come up with solutions faster, while revising and improving your processes.
A while ago Riga Regional Court passed Ruling CA-1102-22/7, which deals with a former employee’s right to recover outstanding wages from the employer for a period of posting and how to apply the concept of daily allowance and exercise the resulting right to include it in the worker’s hourly rate. Given the common practice of paying daily allowances to workers, in this article we will look at how this ruling defines the court’s vision for paying a legally reasonable daily allowance and making it part of the total remuneration.
A worker is subject to the employer’s procedures and orders. In addition to a contract of employment that lays down the parties’ mutual rights and duties, the worker also has to comply with his job description and the employer’s internal rules, terms of business, and code of ethics in certain cases. If the rules of conduct described in these documents are seriously breached during working hours, this may lead to dismissal. In this article we will find out if it’s possible to terminate employment because the worker’s breach involves activities outside working hours.
Remote work has become a standard form of employment, as evidenced by increasing numbers of people choosing jobs with the option of working from home. This drives workforce globalisation, with technology allowing people to work anywhere in the world without changing their home. Remote work also allows people to change employers rather quickly. A digital nomad is one who takes maximum advantage of remote work. Despite their popularity, however, these new arrangements pose tax risks for workers and their employers alike. Many tax experts and researchers are therefore convinced that extensive and comprehensive reforms need to be devised in this area as soon as possible to prevent the current tax rules from lagging behind the trends in the international labour market.
The current economic challenges, such as high inflation, scarce resources and pressures to increase profitability, continue pushing businesses towards a global dilemma: either motivate your workers to stay on with a pay rise and then say goodbye to your profit, or cancel your plans for higher pay and perks and then lose skilled workers. This dilemma might have you looking for some more efficient types of employer’s financial support with a low or no tax burden, such as non-taxable fringe benefits. This article offers an overview of exempt fringes and other useful tools employers can use to support their workers in the Baltic States.
The rapid evolution on a global scale leads to changes in all areas of life. What was once seen as something new and innovative has now become a standard, or it’s out of date already and in for a change. The evolving business environment entails changes to the workplace and workers’ needs, which means new challenges for employers. Diversity of benefits available to employees is becoming a key factor in assessing the workplace. According to statistics, activities promoting diversity of benefits have a positive effect on any company’s economic activity and worker productivity. Especially during the post-pandemic period, we could see employees expecting from their employers a package of benefits that’s flexible and tailored to their needs. We have written before about the advantages of flexible reward schemes. In this article we are looking at a new technology solution that will help companies improve their benefits packages by tailoring those to the desires of their employees.
Employee stock ownership plans are becoming increasingly popular as a way to boost staff motivation in companies around the world, including the Baltic States. The popularity of stock options is due to how they benefit both the company and the employee. Stock options give employees the right to receive or buy shares in their company after a specified period and for a price below the market value. The company benefits by having employees who are willing to work towards its goals and increase its stock value. Since the national rules for taxing this fringe benefit vary from country to country, it’s important to review the tax laws of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
One of the preconditions for securing positive customer experience is a robust organisational culture. Customer satisfaction is critical to any company seeking to maintain long-term profitability and competitiveness on the market.
We have written before about the corporate income tax treatment for the acquisition and maintenance costs of an electric vehicle (EV). Yet employees often charge their corporate EVs at home. This article explores how a company could reimburse an employee’s electricity costs.
Taking care of employees’ mental health is not merely idle chatter or a formal work safety obligation. An employer that fails to pay attention to staff overload issues may face some real legal consequences. This article examines the legal implications of a worker being diagnosed with burnout syndrome and offers a practical overview of how the employer could respond.
